Good Omens

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

I don’t really know how to classify this madcap ride of a novel, but it is hilarious. Neil Gaiman is a favorite author of mine, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Together, they wrote the funniest apocalyptic novel I’ve ever gotten my hands on.

The angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley have been on earth for so long that they have formed a reluctant alliance. And when they learn that the forces of heaven and hell are sending the Antichrist to earth in order to set the apocalypse in motion, they realize that they have grown much too fond of earth to allow it to happen. So they, along with a cast of unusual characters, keep a careful eye on the Antichrist, hoping to sway him away from totally destroying the world. But they soon find that they’ve been watching the wrong kid, and they have only days to avert the apocalypse by any means necessary.

Good Omens pokes fun at many aspects of Christianity, so even though it’s not meant to be taken seriously, it helps to have at least a passing knowledge of the biblical accounts of Adam and Eve, Revelation, and so on. The characters are quirky and interesting, and the writing is fast paced and often hilarious. (The footnotes are particularly great.) If you’re a fan of either Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett and somehow haven’t yet read this book, you must read it. If you love funny, offbeat stories and you don’t mind a not-so-serious look at the end times, you should also pick it up.